Morning.
"Ding—"
The alarm clock shattered the dream in an instant. Ye Shuang slowly sat up, unable to suppress a yawn.
"Hmm?" After glancing at the empty space beside him, he got out of bed and pulled open the curtains. Sunlight spilled into the room, casting a golden sheen over the wooden floor with its rustic aesthetic.
"Beautiful weather," Ye Shuang murmured, stretching slightly as he gazed at the urban skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling window.
It had been two days since returning to Haizhu City.
If there was one thing this trip had accomplished, it was that Bai Yuyou had become better at expressing her thoughts.
Wrapped in love, she was gradually healing into a gentle soul.
That’s what Fugui had said.
At the very least, Bai Yuyou had gone from never smiling to learning how to—though it was still rare, it marked a huge step forward.
As for other changes—
"Waaah, why did I get so much darker? I even used sunscreen!"
Two girls sat at the dining table, their skin several shades darker than before. Bai Yuyou’s transformation was especially noticeable—her originally pale, porcelain complexion had turned a deep tan, with faint outlines of her swimsuit still visible.
Strangely, Bai Yuyou didn’t seem bothered by it, while Tang Keke pouted in frustration.
"You spent days at the beach. Sunscreen doesn’t offer 100% protection—some tanning is inevitable," Ye Shuang chuckled. "At least you didn’t get sunburned, right?"
"Why do you look almost the same, Brother?" Tang Keke eyed him suspiciously. He showed no obvious signs of darkening.
"Me?" Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh.
He’d either been under a parasol or underwater most of the time—how could he have gotten much darker?
"I ran into An Shiyu yesterday, and she didn’t get darker either!" Tang Keke grumbled, as if it were some personal offense. "And she was way wilder than me, zooming around on that jet ski!"
"You saw her yesterday? Where’d you go?"
"I was picking up some medicine for my dad at the hospital, and there she was. She said she was visiting a patient," Tang Keke explained.
"I see." Ye Shuang thought for a moment but didn’t press further.
Breakfast was prepared by Bai Yuyou—simple sandwiches with fried eggs, paired with soy milk and some greens.
"Alright, you two have fun. I need to update my novel," Ye Shuang said after finishing his meal, heading to his desk to work on his latest chapters.
Lately, his novel’s performance had dipped, its ranking plummeting. It was probably because of winter break—readers had other ways to entertain themselves, and web novels were, after all, just a way to kill fragmented bits of time.
"If only some kind readers would click on those free gifts," he muttered to himself as he finished the day’s update.
Two chapters, four thousand words—at his usual typing speed, it took a little over two hours. By the time he finished, it was nearly noon.
Stretching, Ye Shuang turned and saw Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke slathered in cucumber slices and face masks from head to toe.
"Uh… what’s this?" he asked, puzzled.
"Brother, you wouldn’t understand. This is our emergency whitening rescue," Tang Keke said, her words muffled by the mask, making her look absurdly comical.
Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou—clearly, she wasn’t particularly invested in this and had just been dragged along.
"What do you want for lunch?" he asked. "The fridge is almost empty, so I’ll need to go shopping."
"I’ll come too," Bai Yuyou said.
"Same here!" Tang Keke chimed in.
"You two look terrifying right now. You’d scare people if you went out like this," Ye Shuang pointed out, then reconsidered. "How about we just eat out?"
"Where?"
"Somewhere casual. We can also talk about your future studies while we’re at it," he suggested.
"Sounds good."
With that decided, Ye Shuang led the two girls out.
Since their apartment was right above a shopping plaza, dining options were plentiful—especially places like Café de Coral, where they could order fast food and chat over a meal.
"What do you feel like eating?" Ye Shuang asked as they reached the ground floor, surveying the row of restaurants ahead.
"How about Saizeriya?" Tang Keke suggested. "It’s budget-friendly."
"Saizeriya, huh…" The familiar name brought a wave of nostalgia. He’d eaten there often during his student days.
Though branded as Italian cuisine, Saizeriya was actually a Japanese chain that initially tried—and failed—to position itself as high-end Western dining. Only after pivoting to affordability did it unexpectedly take off, even expanding overseas.
In a shopping plaza where even a basic meal cost at least 30 yuan, Saizeriya’s menu was filled with dishes under 10 or 20.
"Let’s go," Ye Shuang said, suddenly craving it.
Saizeriya was on the second floor, just a quick escalator ride away.
The restaurant’s signature green decor greeted them, and the place was already nearly full despite it still being early for lunch.
"Hello, table for three?" a server asked with a smile.
"Yes."
They settled into a booth, and Ye Shuang unfolded the menu, noting that the prices remained as low as ever.
"It really is cheap. Brother, how do they keep prices this low in a place like this?" Tang Keke wondered aloud.
The rent for shops in this plaza was anything but cheap.
"Cost-cutting," Ye Shuang explained simply. "They operate on thin margins but high volume. You’ll notice there aren’t many staff, and did you know… there aren’t even chefs in the kitchen?"
Tang Keke gasped. "No chefs?!"
"Nope. The servers handle everything based on instruction manuals—most dishes are pre-prepared, so the taste is consistent. Plus, they produce a lot of their own ingredients, which saves even more money."
"That’s why Saizeriya has so many locations—good value for money."
"That’s pretty impressive."
"Keke, since you’ll eventually be helping with your parents’ business, it wouldn’t hurt to learn from other companies’ models," Ye Shuang said, then turned to Bai Yuyou.
"Yuyou, are you interested in business?"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
